CPRA had a big 2021 with 13 Projects out of 47 Completed & 110 Coastal Projects Advanced

BATON ROUGE, LA – Today, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) released its 2021 Year in Review outlining the agency’s accomplishments in coastal protection and restoration. This past year saw the advancement of 110 coastal projects, including 47 projects in construction with a total value of $5.4 billion.

“This year we completed 13 projects, all of which proved resilient in the face of devastating hurricanes and tropical storms and served as a tribute to CPRA’s planning, engineering, design and construction methods,” said CPRA Chairman Chip Kline. “We continue to implement even bigger Coastal Master Plan projects, and are pursuing policies that frame our efforts within the context of world climate challenges.”

On the project implementation side, CPRA Executive Director Bren Haase said 2021 has been another banner year in advancing the protection of Louisiana citizens, homes, businesses, infrastructure, and ecosystem.

“The 13 projects we completed this year have a total value of $258 million, improving more than 10 miles of protective levees, benefiting more than 4,200 acres of our coastal wetland habitat, and employing 10 dredges pumping tons of sediment,” Haase said. “The projects we have in construction are valued at more than $5 billion, improving 56 additional miles of levees, and replenishing 9,600 acres of vital habitat. We’re proud to continue this important work as we move into the new year.”

Since its creation in 2007, CPRA and its partners have dredged and pumped more than 164 million cubic yards of sediment to benefit 51,625 acres of coastal habitat, created 72 miles of coastal barrier islands and berms, and improved 353 miles of levees.

In 2021, CPRA’s major accomplishments included:

Hurricane Protection

• Three named storms impacted Louisiana during the 2021 Hurricane Season, including Hurricane Ida, one of the strongest storms to ever make landfall in the state. CPRA helped coordinate the deployment of 1,395 super sack sandbags, 116 pumps, and various other flood fighting assets to protect coastal communities.
• CPRA completed the 147-foot Grand Bayou Floodgate, part of the Morganza to the Gulf levee system. With the completed structure, the system now has a continuous levee segment stretching 47 miles from Grand Bayou in Lafourche Parish to upper Bayou Dularge in Terrebonne Parish.
• CPRA broke ground on Phase 1 of the Houma Navigation Canal (HNC) Lock Complex, which will use over 1 million cubic yards of dredged material to prepare the area for the complex and create 178 acres of marsh. Completion of Phase 1 is anticipated for the fall of 2022.
• Construction activities began on the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain Hurricane Protection System, which will provide 100-year storm surge protection to 60,000 Louisianans in St. Charles, St. James, and St. John the Baptist parishes. The $760 million project will span 18.5 miles, including 17.5 miles of levees, one mile of T-wall, drainage structures, pump stations, and several non-structural protection measures to form an integrated protection system.

Coastal Restoration

• CPRA completed the Cameron Creole Freshwater Introduction project on the east side of Calcasieu Lake in Cameron Parish. The project restored the function, value, and sustainability of 22,510 acres of marsh and open water by improving hydrologic conditions through freshwater input.
• CPRA completed the Trinity-East Island restoration, part of the Terrebonne Basin Barrier Island and Beach Nourishment project. The project built over 2.5 miles of continuous shoreline and 301 acres of beach habitat on the historic barrier island.
• CPRA completed restoration of over 100 acres of Southwest Louisiana’s only Brown Pelican colony – Rabbit Island in Cameron Parish. The island’s first nesting season following restoration far exceeded expectations, with 6,100 nests observed on the newly restored habitat.
• CPRA completed the Northwest Turtle Bay Marsh Creation project south of Lafitte. The project created and nourished over 790 acres of marsh in Jefferson Parish.
• CPRA began dredging activities on the Cameron Meadows Marsh Creation and Terracing project in Cameron Parish northwest of Holly Beach. Using 1.9 million cubic yards of sediment pumped from the Gulf of Mexico, the area will see the restoration of 308 acres of marsh.
• CPRA started construction on the Spanish Pass Increment of the Barataria Basin Ridge and Marsh Creation project, which will build more than 1,500 acres of marsh and 132 acres of ridge west of Venice in Plaquemines Parish. The project is part of a large-scale restoration strategy to address land loss in the Barataria Basin, where over 10,000 acres of land have been restored since 2007.
• CPRA started construction on the Lake Borgne Marsh Creation project to create and nourish 2,770 acres of marsh on the southern shoreline of Lake Borgne in St. Bernard Parish. The project is part of the large-scale restoration strategy for the Pontchartrain Basin to reestablish the bay rim and intertidal marsh habitat in the area.
• CPRA began construction activities on the Golden Triangle Marsh Creation project, which will create and nourish over 770 acres of marsh habitat to reduce storm surge, increase flood protection, and restore estuary habitat in Orleans and St. Bernard parishes. The project will support the New Orleans hurricane protection and levee system by restoring the wetland buffer that acts as a first line of defense against storm surge.
• CPRA began construction on the New Orleans Landbridge Shoreline Stabilization and Marsh Creation project near the confluence of Lake Pontchartrain and Lake St. Catherine. The project will restore 253 acres of marsh and provide 12 miles of shoreline stabilization.

Major Funding

• The Regionwide Trustee Implementation Group (TIG) is providing funding for environmental projects across the five Gulf of Mexico states affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Louisiana will receive $15.16 million for the engineering and design of two projects in St. Bernard Parish – Chandeleur Island restoration and an oyster reef project in the Biloxi Marsh.
• CPRA announced the U.S. Department of Treasury’s acceptance of Louisiana’s Second Amended Direct Component Multiyear Implementation Plan under the RESTORE Act, which remains dedicated to funding projects in Southwest Louisiana, and will provide $261 million through 2031, all of which will go toward the Calcasieu-Sabine Large-Scale Marsh and Hydrologic Restoration project in Cameron Parish.
• CPRA was awarded a $26.7 million RESTORE Act grant to fund the dredging of 1.2 million cubic yards of earthen material to begin construction of the Houma Navigation Canal (HNC) Lock Complex adjacent to the Bubba Dove Floodgate.

Recreational Use

• CPRA and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries completed the Middle Pearl River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) Boat Launch renovations. Work included converting the one-lane gravel ramp to a two-lane concrete ramp and installing wooden docks.
• CPRA completed the first component of the Cypremort Point State Park Improvement project in St. Mary and Iberia parishes, which restored the beach with 18,000 cubic yards of sand.
• CPRA completed the first component of the Pointe-aux-Chenes WMA Enhancement project, which constructed seven fishing piers and a pirogue launch to increase public access for fishing, crabbing, and other recreational opportunities.

Policy

• Working with CPRA, the Atchafalaya Basin Restoration and Enhancement Task Force has delivered its Initial Recommendations to the CPRA Board as requested by Gov. John Bel Edwards. The Task Force brings together a diverse set of stakeholders to illustrate commonly identified problems and potential remediation, along with recommendations to heighten local and national awareness for the Basin and restoration efforts through CPRA’s Atchafalaya Basin Program.

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